What STAR Energy Services LLC does

STAR Energy Services LLC is a private power distribution engineering and software firm headquartered in Alexandria, Minnesota, serving electric cooperatives and municipal utilities across a five-state Midwest region (Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin). Founded in 1982 as Star Federation and rebranded in 1997, the firm today operates from a primary office in Alexandria and a satellite office in Mankato shared with BENCO Electric Cooperative, supporting approximately 90 utility customers and a product portfolio of five proprietary software brands paired with nine engineering, field, compliance, and IT service lines.

The company's core products target the full operational lifecycle of an electric distribution utility. NOVA Power Portal™, launched in 2019, is a web-based DER interconnection management platform with customizable workflows, automated notifications, customer/vendor portals, and Stripe-integrated payments; it has processed over 6,000 interconnection applications totaling roughly 174,000 kWac. PYXIS OMS™ is an outage management system that integrates AMI, AVL, customer billing, and GIS maps for real-time multi-user dispatch. GIS-2-EA™ and STAKING-2-GIS™ convert data between Esri ArcGIS, Milsoft engineering models, and line-design packages (GeoDigital, Partner). The 2024-launched Geotab to MultiSpeak® Connector is a middleware service ($800/year plus $1,500 setup) that bridges Geotab fleet telematics into MultiSpeak-compliant OMS/GIS systems. Service lines include electrical engineering (distribution planning, substation design, arc flash, sectionalizing studies), field services (overhead/underground inspection, GPS data collection, storm assessment), GIS consulting, staking and line design, compliance and safety, electrical testing, IT management, and an Energy Solutions program reselling Briggs & Stratton generators and SimpliPhi storage through utility channels. The firm received the 2023 Minnesota Governor's Diamond Safety Award and Safety Meritorious Award.

Revenue is generated through a mix of subscription-based software licensing (NOVA, PYXIS, GIS tools, plus small-ticket add-ons sold via a FastSpring e-commerce storefront), professional services (engineering studies, field inspection, staking), and managed services (IT support, energy solutions resale). The go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales supplemented by Midwest industry-conference participation (MREA, SDREA, IAEC, MWEUUG, N.D. REC) and a quarterly newsletter (LodeSTAR). STAR currently operates as a privately held LLC with no disclosed external investors, parent entity, or M&A activity, led by CEO Lois Croonquist (since April 2021) and a management team of long-tenured engineers, software developers, safety coordinators, and field-services managers.

Name

STAR Energy Services LLC

Legal name

STAR Energy Services LLC

Website

https://star-energy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

STAR Energy Services LLC is a private Midwest firm providing engineering, field, software, and IT services to electric cooperatives and municipal utilities across Minnesota, Iowa, the Dakotas, and Wisconsin, anchored by proprietary DER interconnection and outage-management software.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Utility Engineering and Distribution Operations Software

NAICS

Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution (2211), Electric Power Transmission, Control, and Distribution (22112), Solar Electric Power Generation (221114)

SIC

Electric Services (4911), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

DER & Microgrid Interconnection / Grid Edge Integration Services (EUAEANAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

SCADA/DMS/OMS Integration, Upgrades & Managed Services (EUAEANAE), Solar Grid Integration & Interconnection Services (Studies, Protection, SCADA, Forecasting) (EUAMABAI), Utility-Scale Power Generation Asset Management (EUAEAMAA)

Keywords

• Utility engineering services
• Distribution management software
• Outage management systems
• DER interconnection software
• Electric cooperative consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Alexandria

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional Engineering Services: Electrical engineering consulting services including distribution planning, substation design, renewable energy interconnections, cost of service analysis, and engineering studies for electric utilities.
2. Software Licensing and Subscriptions: Annual subscription software products including NOVA Power Portal, PYXIS OMS, GIS-2-EA, Staking-2-GIS, and Geotab to MultiSpeak connector with annual and one-time setup fees.
3. Field Services: Overhead and underground inspection, maintenance programs, GPS data collection, storm damage assessment, and staking/line design services.
4. IT Management and Support: Technology assessments, cybersecurity planning, networking, VPN, backup services, AMI software maintenance, AVL device installation, VOIP, and video conferencing services.
5. Energy Solutions Programs: Programs for utilities to offer backup energy solutions including Briggs & Stratton generators and SimpliPhi energy storage systems to residential, agricultural, and commercial customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

STAR Energy Services provides power distribution engineering, field services, compliance and safety support, and utility operations software to electric cooperatives and municipal utilities. Its offering combines professional engineering services (distribution planning, substation design, DER interconnection, staking/line design, field inspection) with proprietary software products (NOVA Power Portal, PYXIS OMS, GIS-2-EA, STAKING-2-GIS, Geotab to MultiSpeak Connector) that integrate with Esri GIS, MultiSpeak, AMI, and AVL systems.

Product overview

STAR Energy Services LLC is a power distribution engineering firm offering a portfolio of five proprietary software products and nine service lines. The software suite is organized around the electric utility lifecycle: NOVA Power Portal™ manages distributed energy resource (DER) interconnection applications; PYXIS OMS™ handles outage management and dispatch; GIS-2-EA™ converts Esri® GIS data into Milsoft® engineering models; STAKING-2-GIS™ imports work orders from GeoDigital®/Partner® line design software into ArcGIS®; and the Geotab to MultiSpeak® Connector bridges Geotab fleet AVL data into MultiSpeak®-compatible OMS/GIS systems. Services span electrical engineering, compliance and safety, electrical testing, energy solutions, field services, GIS, IT management, and staking/distribution line design.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PYXIS OMS™: Outage management system that manages outages and analyzes outage trends to help target areas for system maintenance.
• NOVA Power Portal™
• STAKING-2-GIS™
• GIS-2-EA™
• Geotab to MultiSpeak® Connector

Products and services

• NOVA Power Portal™ Web-based software solution that enables electric utilities to track, manage, and optimize the distributed energy resource (DER) interconnection process with customizable workflows, real-time notifications, customer/vendor portals, end-to-end application tracking, and Stripe-based payment integration. Used by approximately 90 cooperative and municipal utilities in the Midwest.
• PYXIS OMS™ Outage management system that manages electric outages, analyzes outage trends, and calculates system-wide reliability indices. Tightly integrates with customer billing systems, AMI, AVL, call handling services, and existing GIS maps for real-time multi-user dispatch and outage recording.
• GIS-2-EA™ Custom application that generates a Milsoft engineering model from a utility's current Esri ArcGIS system, correcting customer and device phasing based on overhead and underground conductor phasing and providing tools for mass map edits. Requires ArcGIS for Desktop Standard and supports MultiSpeak Version 3.0.
• STAKING-2-GIS™ Work order import toolset for ArcGIS for Desktop Standard that imports data directly from GeoDigital and Partner line design software into Esri maps, exports shape files as background maps, and updates customer, meter, and transformer data via MultiSpeak interfaces.
• Geotab to MultiSpeak® Connector Middleware service that converts real-time location data from a Geotab AVL instance and forwards it to a receiving MultiSpeak interface (Version 4.1.6), allowing electric utilities to display Geotab AVL fleet location data within MultiSpeak-compatible OMS and mapping applications.
• Software Integration and Development Services Custom software development services including Usage and Demand Tools, Customized Digital Maps, Broadband Subscriber management platforms, and AVL integration middleware for Geotab, GPS Insight, SureCam, TRBONet, Verizon NetworkFleet, and Verizon Connect Reveal. Targeted at electric utility and broadband operators.
• Electrical Engineering Services Engineering services for electric utilities including distribution planning, substation design, renewable energy interconnections, cost of service analysis, arc flash analysis, construction work plans, contingency switching, long-range load forecasts, sectionalizing studies, SCADA design, and everyday engineering support.
• Compliance and Safety Services Safety program design, DOT driver file audits, SDS management, safety committee facilitation, crew observations, required training delivery, employee training record tracking, safety document creation/revision, and electrical safety demonstrations for utility clients.
• Electrical Testing Services Professional stray voltage investigations, thermographic imaging of substation and padmount equipment, electronic recloser testing, phase identification, and power quality investigations for electric distribution systems.
• Energy Solutions Programs enabling utilities to offer residential, agricultural, and commercial backup energy solutions including Briggs & Stratton standby and non-emergency generators (up to 200kW) and SimpliPhi lithium ferro phosphate energy storage systems to their customers.
• Field Services Overhead and underground inspection and maintenance programs, GPS data collection, customizable project dashboards, asset management, and storm damage assessment delivered on-site at utility client locations.
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Services GIS solutions using Esri products or open-source software, including data management, mapping system conversions to MultiSpeak data models, Esri server/portal configuration, and web/mobile map production using ArcGIS Online, Portal for ArcGIS, and CarryMap.
• IT Management and Support Managed IT services for utilities including technology assessments, cyber security planning, equipment/software procurement, networking, VPN, backup and recovery, AMI software maintenance, AVL device setup, VOIP, video conferencing, and KnowBe4 security awareness training.
• Staking and Distribution Line Design Staking and line design services for electric power distribution and broadband infrastructure, compliant with NESC and RUS standards, including overhead and underground project layout, transformer sizing, and sag/tension calculations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Cut internal DER application cost in half
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration14 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• GeotabcoreTechnology or IntegrationGeotab Marketplace Partner. STAR Energy Services developed Geotab to MultiSpeak Connector enabling real-time fleet AVL data from Geotab to integrate with utility enterprise systems using MultiSpeak standard. Designed for electric cooperatives and public power utilities to display vehicle locations on outage maps and GIS systems.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Survalent Technology: SCADA, OMS, and DER management software focused on electric utilities and cooperatives; comparable product overlap with PYXIS OMS and a similar small/mid-sized utility customer footprint.
• Ulteig Engineers: Engineering, technical, and field services firm serving electric cooperatives, municipal utilities, and investor-owned utilities; comparable breadth of distribution planning, substation design, and field services.
• Smarter Grid Solutions: DER interconnection management and distribution optimization software (now part of Landis+Gyr); directly comparable to NOVA Power Portal's DER application workflow and queue management capabilities.
• Milsoft Utility Solutions: Engineering analytics, OMS, and AMI/AVL software for electric distribution utilities; STAR's GIS-2-EA converts Esri data into Milsoft engineering models, making them adjacent partners and head-to-head competitors for distribution-engineering software at cooperatives.
• DGR Engineering: Engineering firm with a power-delivery division serving electric cooperatives, municipal utilities, and RECs across the Midwest and U.S.; comparable engineering, GIS, and field-services scope.
• SE Technologies (Systems Engineering & Technologies, Inc.): Independent engineering and GIS services firm serving electric cooperatives and municipal utilities with distribution engineering, staking, and GIS mapping — closely aligned with STAR's services portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• POWER Engineers: Large multi-discipline engineering firm with a substantial power-delivery practice serving electric utilities across the U.S.; competes with STAR on distribution engineering, substation design, and renewable interconnection studies.
• Landis+Gyr (Gridstream/Creator): Global utility AMI/ADMS and DER management vendor; competes indirectly via owned Smarter Grid Solutions and broader utility software suites that could displace standalone products like NOVA and PYXIS at larger customers.
• Esri Utility Network / ArcGIS Utility Solutions: Dominant GIS platform that STAR integrates with; Esri's Utility Network and partner ecosystem increasingly bundle DER and outage management functionality that overlaps with NOVA and PYXIS offerings.

Others

• Briggs & Stratton Energy Solutions (now part of KPS Capital portfolio / SimpliPhi reseller channel): SimpliPhi Power (lithium ferro phosphate storage) and Briggs & Stratton standby generators are resold through STAR's Energy Solutions program to electric cooperatives; an ecosystem partner and adjacent-channel peer in distributed energy hardware for utilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@starenergyservices8845
• Facebookfacebook.com/STAREnergyServices

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about STAR Energy Services LLC